Continuing on with my London reviews….I just HAD to go to Niche Gluten-Free Dining, the first night I was in London. 100% gluten free?!?** How could I say no? Immediately I made reservations.
**100% gluten free by UK standards! And this is super duper important to note. If you are from the United States, several of their dishes use gluten removed beer—which by US standards is NOT gluten free. Confusing? yes, very much so. How can one country say something is gluten free but another say nope? It happens and provides a valuable lesson for traveling abroad. Be sure to check with the staff on ingredients that may differ by countries (gluten removed beer, oats, etc). So if you are one of my lovely British readers, you can ignore this little bit…but for American readers, I wanted to include this disclaimer.
Since I refuse to ever consume gluten removed beer, I asked about each dish I was interested in ordering and made sure they weren’t fried (beer battered onion rings contaminate the fryer). Some menu items were eliminated, but there were TONS of (US approved) options. I had a hard time deciding which item to order…so I ordered 3 (an appetizer, entree, and dessert) and my husband ordered 2 (entree and dessert). Because I just couldn’t decide!!!
I LOVE how all of their menu items are labeled with common allergens like dairy, soy, nuts eggs, mustard, etc as well as vegetarian/vegan. Makes the place easier for those with multiple allergies/intolerances!
For the appetizer, I ordered pigs in a blanket. I was sooooo excited! I have’t had delicious mini hot dogs wrapped in a delicate pastry since being diagnosed. I was just so in disbelief that I even asked the staff “is this like REAL pigs in the blanket?” They assured me yes! However, I soon found out that pigs in a blanket has a very different meaning in the UK than the US. In the UK, it’s sausage wrapped in bacon! No pastry or mini hot dog involved 😦 (I included a blurry photo just so you can see!). I am not a fan of sausage or bacon so I was disappointed. But that was my fault……
For my main course I ordered the pot pie—and my goodness was it heaven!! The pastry was baked to perfection and was stuffed with such wonderful goodness. Loved every single bite of it! The veggies were perfect too and the sauce, which was like a gravy, was subtle but wonderfully complimentary.
Ryan ordered The Chicken Supreme: “Marinated in thyme, garlic, parsley with a mushroom, Dijon & white wine cream sauce, sautéed spinach with lemon & garlic oil, sautéed potatoes.” He loved his dish too!!
For dessert, I ordered the white chocolate raspberry cheesecake! AND I AM SO GLAD I DID!!!! It was incredible.
Ryan ordered a dessert that was similar to a panna cotta (I can’t remember the name of it and it is sadly off the menu now!). He really enjoyed it as said it was a light dessert.
I definitely would visit Niche again! I love that the restaurant is dedicated (UK) gluten free and the quality of food is phenomenal. The restaurant is on the smaller side so I do recommend making reservations–also be sure to save room for dessert.
**Please note that this review solely reflects my own honest opinion. I was neither paid nor compensated for my visit here. Also, kitchen protocols and menus can change at any time. Make sure to speak to the staff at any restaurant before eating to make sure that they can accommodate your dietary restriction.**
